Objectives
The musical theatre repertoire encompasses myriad genres, each requiring different singing styles and techniques. A previous study of audition notices by the authors identified four primary genres of musical theatre repertoire and their accompanying vocal characteristics over a six-month period from 2012 to 2013. This new study examines the audition requirements for all Broadway musicals in the intervening years, with an expanded focus on the varying employment prospects for performers in each genre.
Study Design
Descriptive from frequency count over time.
Methods
Audition notices were gathered for every musical running on Broadway from October 2013 to October 2024 (n=157) and categorized according to the four previously identified primary genres: Legit, Traditional Musical Theatre, Contemporary Musical Theatre, and Pop/Rock. The length of run and the number of employment opportunities were calculated for each production and compared with other categories of information that performers consider when auditioning for a Broadway musical.
Results
During the past 11 years, Broadway musicals featuring contemporary and popular genres have been produced more often than those with traditional genres, providing over 72% of total Broadway work weeks for musical theatre performers. The period leading up to 2020 indicated an increase in the number of Pop/Rock musical productions over time, but trends in other genres have been unpredictable since 2021 when the 18-month pandemic shutdown ended.
Conclusions
Despite the disruption caused by the pandemic, musicals requesting Pop/Rock repertoire continue to dominate Broadway, and their auditions require the most specialized knowledge of genre and style categories. Performers seeking jobs in Broadway musicals are recommended to study contemporary genres and to train amplified singing styles if they want to maximize their employment opportunities.